Team National wins Section 9 senior all-star game

NEWBURGH — This was exactly how Monroe-Woodbury defensive back John Mallon drew it up, this was his dream.

JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ

NEWBURGH — This was exactly how Monroe-Woodbury defensive back John Mallon drew it up, this was his dream.

Mallon picked off a ball in the open field. There was nobody between him and the end zone. This is what Mallon has been waiting for his entire career.

On Sunday, at the Section 9 exceptional senior football game, Mallon's dream came true. His 45-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the second quarter was one of the highlights in Team National's 24-11 win over Team American at Newburgh Free Academy.

"It's the first pick six I ever had," Mallon said. "I just saw open field and I was sprinting because I knew nobody was around me. I thought I was faster than everyone and I thought I could beat them all. It's really cool to come out here and impress people."

The showcase, put on by the Section 9 Football Coaches Association, was the first game of its kind locally since the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association held an exceptional senior game from 1977-82. Newburgh coach Bill Bianco led the Nationals and Brian Bellino of Roosevelt coached the Americans. The game attracted about 1,000 fans to Academy Field on a nice day.

Combined, the teams' had 10 turnovers — five apiece by the American and National — but the play was crisp and hard-hitting. There were modified rules, including no blitzing. The mood was serious, yet light, with players laughing and joking with each other in the fourth quarter.

"We knew this was for fun, but we still wanted to win, get one last win," said Warwick linebacker John O'Leary, who played for the National team. "We didn't plan on it being as intense, but it really was. It felt like a big playoff game. The big schools, the small schools, everyone did great."

Trailing 3-0, the National team broke open the game by scoring 16 points in a 47-second span late in the second quarter. Wallkill's Matt Iorlano tied the game with a 32-yard field goal with 1:19 left in the first half. Mallon's pick for a score off Washingtonville's Matt Poveromo came just 30 seconds later.

On Team American's next play from scrimmage, Millbrook linebacker Anthony Carolei intercepted John S. Burke Catholic quarterback Bob Pezzullo, returning it 20 yards for a touchdown to make it 16-3. Monroe-Woodbury wide receiver Justin Kaffenberger, playing quarterback, put the game way for Team National with a 78-yard run with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter. Kaffenberger had 159 rushing yards.

Highlights for Team American included two interceptions by Liberty's Atwoun Ackerley.

"To do that felt great, especially in an all-star game," said Kaffenberger, Monroe-Woodbury's star wide receiver and back-up quarterback. "It was supposed to be a quarterback sneak, but all the linemen blocked them inside. I just took it outside and got it. During the season, sometimes teams just kill teams 60-0. But this was a great game all around."

jrodriguez@th-record.com

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